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The Apiara
Summary The Apiara are a bee-keeping civilization located the cloud forests of Astaadyr. They live hundreds of feet up in the trees, keeping massive hives for both production and defense. The elders of the tribe can speak in an apiaric language to direct bee swarms, hive building and honey production. The Apiara are of human stock, although some have fey traits (ear points, lithe frames, long-lived). It is unknown when the society first began. They share no common language with the other human cultures of Astaadyr. The have a language much more like that of the Crescent Elves. Some scholars propose the Apiara were among the first human immigrants to the continent; and were captured by the elves for use as servants. Apiara lands are quite peaceful. Every inch of the cloud forest is separated among the Apiara colonies. None is left contested. Internicine violence is virtually unknown outside of the ruling classes. The Apiara eat no meat, and allow no killing of animals. Even swatting a fly is frowned upon. Anyone may pass through Apiara lands without harm--even their gravest foes. The Apiara have no written language. They produce no metal tools. And they build no permanent structures. Despite their simple outward appearance, the Apiara live in a complex social system. Society Apiara operate much like the bee colonies they tend. The colony has a strict size determined by the amount of honey the bees can produce. They vary from 100-1000 persons. There is only one leader. More than 99% of the population functions as workers. Each tribe has an Aiza, a queen. The aiza holds her role as queen until she dies, or is slain by an heiress. Male children of the queen are banished at the age of maturity--often migrating to other Apiara clans to become begegyr. Female children of the aiza face an even more challenging future. Only one may become queen. The rest die in combat, assassination, or ritual execution. A competing queen is never allowed. Occasionally, an heiress can be called by another colony to rule. Finally, a colony that has become too large, may choose to split in two. This is rare, because the Apiara territorities are rigidly cordoned off--and a ruling aiza does not like to reduce her holdings. Within each tribe there is a priesthood of men called "begegyr:" the drones (derogatory: begger, draen). There is one of these ceremonial priests out of every 100 workers. They are well-fed, well-dressed, with skin perfumed, and hair perfectly oiled. The begegyr are waited on hand and foot. This luxurious existence comes at a price. Begegyr must breed with the aiza--and no one else. If the aiza does not bear a child within a year, the begegyr is expelled. If the aiza dies in childbirth, the begegyr is killed. Once the aiza becomes infertile, the begegyr is killed, too. Begegyr are occasionally slain by the aiza's heirs and heiresses (in order than fewer competing siblings are born). The vast majority of Apiara are "bonde:" workers (rarely: pons, peons, pawns). The bonde must work in their clan for life. However, they may marry and mate with whom they please (this includes male/male and female/female pairings). The only requirement is that each bonde must mate yearly to produce offspring. Every bonde child is considered a child of the colony. Bonde children, as well as the injured, infirm, and aged, must be cared for by the aiza-queen. If the aiza fails in this task, she may be deposed, and ostracized from the colony. In times of dire poverty, begegyr are driven out before anyone of the bonde. There are three subgroups of bonde: Trabar, Jaegr, and Mercar. Bonde-trabar account for 85% of workers. They care for the bees, transport honey, and maintain colonies. Bonde-jaegr specialize in defense of Apiara territory. They account for only 5% of the worker population. Bonde-mercar are the merchants of the Apiara, accounting for the remaining 10% of workers. They are among the few Apiara who meet with outsiders. The bonde-mercar are shrewd traders. They sell the highly prized honey for iron tools, and other finished goods. The rarest group of Apiara are the Aizaroja, the Red Queens. These are bandit clans outside of the authority of Apiara colony-caste system. The Red Queens are violent, crafty, and known for eating meat (a taboo among the Apiara). And they hate the White Queens (their term for the colony aiza). Each Aizaroja clan is ruled by an exiled queen or heiress. She gathers together other expelled heirs and heiresses, as well as bonde who have broken colony rules. The Aizaroja kidnap children too, to build their numbers. Aizaroja clan sizes are small; and they live below the cloud forest canopy. Language and Communication Apiara language is incredibly sophisticated, and difficult to learn by an outsider. Only a third of the language is spoken. The rest is conducted by dance, touch, and odor, imitative of the bees they tend. Words appear to form punctuation. Dance conveys broader concepts. Odor seems to convey tone. Finally, the haptic aspect denotes precise concepts and nuance. Apiara are lightly dressed, and any part of the upper torso may be touched without necessarily conveying intimacy. This can be distressing to a more rigid culture. Completing a contract with an Apiara merchant can be an exercise in frustration (and hilarity to onlookers). Apiara "sign" a contract with a unique physical sign, a secret handshake of a sort. It may combine a word, dance, series of touches, and potentially even an odor. About 10% of the Apiara population can communicate with bees, conveying simple coded messages and instructions. These messages can be interpreted by another savant, by watching the bee dance. It is unclear if this is a magical trait among the Apiara. The final aspect of Apiara communication is their most prized, and most hidden. Since the Apiara's colonies exist in three dimensions, they create webbed maps to reflect this. Using honey spiders (a breed of trained spider that lives on honey and bee larvae), the aiza of a colony weaves a map of her territory. Only the ruling classes and a few bonde-mercar know how to make and read these three-dimensional maps. The vast majority of workers depend on scent or physical marks made on the trees to find borders. Trees grow and scents dissipate. Hence, the web maps are critically important for resolving inter-colony conflicts. Economy and Trade The Apiara hold a monopoly on the best sweetener (and preservative) on the continent of Astaadyr: honey. Although honey is gathered and made outside of Apiara territory, the supply is inconsistent and of inferior quality. The Apiara have mastered honey production. They sell varying grades of honey, from tar black to a honey as clear as water. Mead is also a major trade item. Dried honey cakes blended with pollen, said to be edible for decades, are sold as well. The Apiara sell excellent beeswax products, such as candles (known to burn cleanly and twice as long as other candles). Finally, the Apiara also do a thriving clandestine business in narcotic and poisoned honeys, as well as venoms. Apiara train bees who seek out poisonous or narcotic flowers. They also breed bees as large as a man's forearm. From these giant bees, a potent venom is extracted. The Apiara are discrete traders. They are careful to conduct business with known parties. They also avoid competing with fellow colonies, essentially creating a nation of small guilds. The Apiara trade for iron tools and weapons, linens, cheeses, and exotic fruits and vegetables. They do not trade for meat or luxury items. However, due to population growth, the Apiara have become dependent on trade to sustain their colonies. Warfare The Apiara rarely have wars. Few wear armor of any kind, for agility is highly valued in a civilization based hundreds of feet in the sky. Apiara specialize in blowguns, darts, and grenades, all using forms of poison. Since Apiara are vegetarian, they generally only need to use their tools to drive off large predators. However, when facing sentient opponents, the Apiara are dangerous warriors. Apiara know their environment perfectly. They are experts at concealment and trap-setting. The sky-bridges between colonies are hidden, and dangerous to traverse. An invader must either be able to fly, or cut down a tree 30' wide. The Apiara's weapons may be made of primitive materials; but they are highly effective. Apiara blowguns use magazines of live bees. If the shot misses, the bee still flies around the target, attempting to strike. Apiara darts are the stingers (with attached venom sac) of giant bees. Fighters will use these darts in hand-to-hand combat as well. Apiara grenades are the most devious weapon of all. They are made from abdomens of giant bees, sealed with wax. The grenade is about the size of a man's fist; and can be filled with almost anything: stink bugs, live bees, even flammable concoctions. The worst is the two-chambered Tar-du grenade. It contains a poisoned black honey in one chamber; and thousands of biting ants in the other. When smashed, the honey and ants stick to the target(s), biting and spreading the poison. If the target doesn't die from the agony, he certainly dies from the fall. Finally, Apiara can direct bee swarms to attack foes. They are reticent to do this, out of a concern for their bees. A significant loss could starve the bee colony and the Apiara themselves. Location The Apiaria are located in the eastern Goedica Forest, west of the Arenum Maris Cliffs. Estimated Numbers 15000 to 30000 souls Known Towns The Apiaria live only in villages centered around their hives. Allies The Apiaria have trading relations with many cultures in Astaadyr. Foes The orkik Carrion Clans are known to raid during the high wind months, taking honey and slaves. There are also rumored tribes of were-bears, the Ursic Cysgod (Shadow Bears), who live below the cloud forests. They occasionally risk climbing up the trees to steal honey. Characters Keeper Sulah, Leader of the Apiara The Keeper is a diminutive, aged woman, with a careworn face, mahogany skin, and bright, flinty eyes. She is the oldest aiza, and the only Keeper. As the leader of all the Apiaria, she knows the secret language of every bee hive. She is said to be a magical adept as well, able to extend her life, speak through the bees, and resist poisoning. Keeper Sulah maintains a small colony of her own. She has two daughters, who have respectfully not tried to assassinate her in years. Zavideta, Red Queen Zavideta is a young woman in her mid-20s. Her queen died when she was young. Rather than committing ritual suicide, or fighting her sisters to the death, Zavideta ran away to become part of the Apiara underworld. She is a cunning trader, fighter, and poisoner. Zavideta has travelled outside of Apiara territory, and learned many things of the wider world. She has knows several outsider languages; and has come to dress like them as well. Zavideta's most prized possession is armor made of elven silk. It is incredibly light, but makes her skin impenetrable to bee stings and other poisons her Apiaran rivals might use. Ananias, Bonde-mercar Ananias is a jovial, rather fat Apiara merchant. He stands about five and a half feet tall, wearing his hair long, oiled and plated in traditional Apiaran fashion. Ananias favors outsider fashion, wearing linen robes, hats, and tunics--even shoes! He makes a habit of being the loudest, most generous, and jubilant merchant among the Apiara. Ananias does this to hide a secret: he is not a worker, but a former drone. He did not like his fate; and chose to take matters in his own hands. But he is forever fearful of being found out, and returned to his colony. Comments "He yelled, slapped me twice, winked, then passed wind. And that is how an Apiara signs a contract" --Ser Bravas, Aquethaini honey merchant "Outsiders are welcome in trade or in passing--nothing more."--Apiaran proverb "Ogg, he once raided the Bee-men, he-Ogg and his 12 brothers. Now Ogg, he live alone." --Og the Lame, Orkik of the Carrion Clans Apiaria